faba Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 Lions looking to deal No. 2 pick for more picks rather than take Johnson Tuesday, April 24, 2007 By Tom Kowalski ALLEN PARK -- Here's a question that needs to be asked: If there are four or five teams who are willing to give up a great deal in a trade, for the opportunity to draft wide receiver Calvin Johnson, why would the Detroit Lions not want him, too? There is a perception that Lions president Matt Millen, after his recent first-round disasters with wide receivers Charles Rogers and Mike Williams, doesn't have the nerve to take another shot at a receiver. That is a mistaken opinion. The Lions think as highly of Johnson as everybody else in the NFL does, and Millen would have absolutely no problem pulling the trigger on drafting him (after all, from a public relations standpoint, it couldn't get any worse for Millen). No, the reason the Lions are eagerly willing to trade their No. 2 overall pick to another team (so that team can draft Johnson) is because one great player isn't going to turn the Lions around. They need a lot of good players and that's why Millen wants to stockpile draft picks. In addition to adding more players, Millen hopes to parlay some of those extra draft choices into ammunition to move back up in the draft in later rounds to get the players they have targeted at certain positions. Johnson, along with Wisconsin tackle Joe Thomas, is considered one of the "safest" picks in the draft because there are so few questions about his game, both on and off the field. Johnson has great speed (4.35 in the 40-yard dash) and size (6-foot-5 and 240 pounds) and fantastic hands. He's a hard worker who is willing to go across the middle and puts himself before the team. Lions offensive coordinator Mike Martz would certainly love to go into the season with a trio like Johnson, Roy Williams and Mike Furrey. Opponents might have to revert to playing seven defensive backs to handle all of that firepower. Martz and the Lions, though, believe the offense can be explosive without Johnson and that's another reason why the Lions likely will -- reluctantly -- pass on him. But that doesn't mean the Lions won't be looking for receivers later in the draft. The Lions signed former St. Louis Rams wide receiver Shaun McDonald as a free agent and he's expected to step into the No. 3 position role. After that, though, the Lions have little they can count on in terms of depth. Mike Williams, who skipped the team's recent workouts, is expected to be cut or traded before the regular season. Because of his high salary cap hit ($5.7 million), the Lions are in no hurry to move him now. He could be traded before Saturday's draft but it's more likely he'll be dealt with at a later time. Corey Bradford was cut during last season and re-signed later when the Lions were desperate for help. Eddie Drummond isn't consistent enough in the offense and won't have a big role. And, because his production as a return specialist has diminished, he will have to fight for a roster spot. On the second day of the draft, the Lions are expected to go after players who are smart enough to understand the offense and have great speed and return abilities. The Lions hope to find some keepers later in the draft so it'll take some sting out of bypassing Johnson at the beginning of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterNorth09 Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 Matt Millen is a waste of sperm. I can't believe this momo actually thinks he can win with Jonny Kitna as his qb of the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadowJet35 Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 If they do that, what's the over/under on how many Home Games in which fans exit the game in protest? 6 or 7? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARodJetsFan Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 McShay and Kiper are saying the Lions desperately want out of that #2 pick. That's what they said word for word about 15 minutes ago on Sportscenter.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECURB Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 They dont want Brady Quinn and they dont want to draft a WR that early again... it actually makes sense... they can trade down and get more starting players... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barton Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 I dont understand why there seems to be no consideration for Adrian Peterson at the #2 spot for the Lions. Kevin Jones is a huge question mark with his injury, might not even play in 2007, and the Lions could use a runner like Peterson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawngnome o-line Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 what they need to do is try and strike a deal with a team to get OUT of the top 10 and pick up a 1st rd pick in the 08' draft and a 3rd rder this year. from this grab a CB or LB that could step in and start. they have too many holes and even though CJ is the best player in the draft they did dump off dre bly their #1 CB. don't forget they did pick up tatum bell and former 1st rder foster at OT. from this they should try and build on their d that is young and improving, and grab themselves a QB in either the 2nd or next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drago Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 Matt Millen is a waste of sperm. I can't believe this momo actually thinks he can win with Jonny Kitna as his qb of the future. He should have been a drain baby, but he went and found egg anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drago Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 McShay and Kiper are saying the Lions desperately want out of that #2 pick. That's what they said word for word about 15 minutes ago on Sportscenter.. That would be the single smartest thing for millen to do in his entire career. They could get so much for that spot, especially if Russel is taken by the Raiders. So many teams would cough up an enormous price to grab Johnson. If they stay and take him, they would have a nice 1-2 punch at receiver, but still no defense, QB or offensive line Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaBrick Wall Posted April 25, 2007 Share Posted April 25, 2007 That would be the single smartest thing for millen to do in his entire career. They could get so much for that spot, especially if Russel is taken by the Raiders. So many teams would cough up an enormous price to grab Johnson. If they stay and take him, they would have a nice 1-2 punch at receiver, but still no defense, QB or offensive line Peter King's MMQB this week was a pretty interesting read, and I think I might agree with him. He thinks that all the "trade ransom" talk is overblown. Especially with a team like Tampa, which is probably the hottest rumor around the league. They have so many needs elsewhere and on defense that to: 1. not take a defensive player in the first round, 2. trade away another pick or two to move up, sacrificing defensive players they can possibly get in later rounds, and 3. paying more guaranteed millions might just set them back. How much difference can one receiver make for a team with glaring needs elsewhere? Also, I don't know what the hell Washington has to give up, and they have many needs as well, as do the Vikings and just about every other team that is involved in these rumors. The speculated Broncos trade would just be dumb for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thai Jet Posted April 25, 2007 Share Posted April 25, 2007 You better believe that Matt Millan is PRAYING that Oakland takes Russell. That will leave the more desirable Johnson still on the board and Detroit willingly listening to offers. Detroit has so much $$ tied up in early 1st round WR's that there is no way they want to add to that by drafting Johnson too. Trading with TB would make sense in that they could still pick up Joe Thomas at #4 and have some extra picks to fill areas of need. If Oakland does what I think they will and draft Cal Johnson themselves then I can see Russell falling like a rock down the board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GREENSMACKS Posted April 25, 2007 Share Posted April 25, 2007 Nicholas Cotsonika, of the Detroit Free Press, reports the Denver Broncos have made two offers to the Detroit Lions involving the the second overall pick, according to the Denver Post. The first offer included LB Al Wilson and the Broncos' first-round pick. The second offer involved the Broncos' first-, second- and third-round picks in the 2007 NFL Draft, as well as their first-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thai Jet Posted April 25, 2007 Share Posted April 25, 2007 Nicholas Cotsonika, of the Detroit Free Press, reports the Denver Broncos have made two offers to the Detroit Lions involving the the second overall pick, according to the Denver Post. The first offer included LB Al Wilson and the Broncos' first-round pick. The second offer involved the Broncos' first-, second- and third-round picks in the 2007 NFL Draft, as well as their first-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. That 2nd offer sounds tempting but not sure if the Lions want to move down that far (#21) in the 1st round. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetCane Posted April 25, 2007 Share Posted April 25, 2007 You better believe that Matt Millan is PRAYING that Oakland takes Russell. That will leave the more desirable Johnson still on the board and Detroit willingly listening to offers. Detroit has so much $$ tied up in early 1st round WR's that there is no way they want to add to that by drafting Johnson too. Trading with TB would make sense in that they could still pick up Joe Thomas at #4 and have some extra picks to fill areas of need. If Oakland does what I think they will and draft Cal Johnson themselves then I can see Russell falling like a rock down the board. Trading the pick for the right deal makes sense. But Millen is nonsense, so I dont expect him to do the smart thing. Then again, even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4HCrew Posted April 25, 2007 Share Posted April 25, 2007 the bottom line is that the lions are not one player away and an accumulation of picks would help a ton..but then those picks would have to be quality picks so who knows. The thing that is crazy is that I truly think Calvin is the best player in the draft...if he falls to the Bucs look out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterNorth09 Posted April 25, 2007 Share Posted April 25, 2007 Matt Millen is a stupid POS. The Lions need a Quarterback. That organization has been getting killed by bad quarterbacks for years. When was the last time the Lions had a QB that was actually decent? They've had losers like Scott Mitchell, Charlie Batch and Joey Harrington. Jon Kitna is not a starting caliber NFL QB and Millen is shooting himself in both feet if he thinks he can make the playoffs with him. The Lions need to take either Jamarcus Russel or Brady Quinn. I know alot of you don't like Brady Quinn but I think he would be successful on that team with Roy Williams, Furrey and Mike Martz as his coordinator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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